Solar Roads Can Beat Peak Oil And The Icing Over Of America

This is a pretty amazing idea — the roads might even be able to charge electric cars while they travel using mutual induction! Check out Solar Roadways:

Suppose we made a section of road out of this material and housed solar cells to collect energy, which could pay for the cost of the panel, thereby creating a road that would pay for itself over time. What if we added LEDs to “paint” the road lines from beneath, lighting up the road for safer night time driving? What if we added a heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to roll in and the Solar Roadway project was born.

In 2009, we received a contract from the Federal Highway Administration to build the first ever Solar Road Panel prototype. During the course of its construction, we learned many lessons and discovered new and better ways to approach this project. These methods and discoveries are discussed throughout this website…

I agree, sometimes by believing it’s impossible you are making sure it will never happen. This might be one of those. Even if it’s not used as a highway (sidewalks), or only used in some places – it would be neat.

I agree, sometimes by believing it’s impossible you are making sure it will never happen. This might be one of those. Even if it’s not used as a highway (sidewalks), or only used in some places – it would be neat.